Elfen Lied: Dark Seraphim
by JRB95
Summary: Sequel to Family Sticks Together. After the death of Alex, things did not get any better for diclonii as Kakuzawa continues his search for Kaede. He tells the American military of the threat, who sends one young private to scout the situation in Kamakura. Leon Zoroaster is now ready to uncover the secrets of the diclonii as mysterious things start happening to him.
1. The Marine, The Facility, The Diclonii

**Here we go again people! Three months ago Alex's tale came to an end and now, ninety days later, a new story commences! Get ready to experience the one story that will unravel the past and delve into the future events! Enough intros now, time to start this already!**

**IMPORTANT: This work is mostly from my head and might therefore disagree with the events in the manga. If this idea does not suit your requirements then I apologize but you should stop reading.**

**CHAPTER I: The Marine, the Facility, and the Diclonii**

An eerie quiet had placed itself on a lonely island off the coast of the small town of Kamakura, Japan. On the landmass, a single structure was visible. It was a facility like none other in the world, for this was meant to keep individuals with superhuman abilities at bay. These individuals have been named diclonii by the humans. Their existence, however, is left unknown to the majority of the world's population as they have only appeared around Japan.

The diclonii are not only gifted girls, they are completely different species ready to take their place in the world. What is their objective? Few can say, for they could be either the ultimate threat to humanity's rule over the planet or simply a group of different people who strive to fit in our world. Because of mankind's tendency to fear anything that is unusual or uncommon, the special girls often get mistreated by the general public. In turn, they turn aggressive towards humans in general. These events could trigger an approaching and catastrophic war between the species.

This one facility was built in secret under the premise of holding in custody and researching the diclonius species. However, it hides a much darker secret. The director of the institute, Kakuzawa, has a much darker plot in mind. Under the guise of a benevolent person, he works to achieve world domination by ruling over the diclonii once the world is theirs to command. His efforts have been in vain, thanks to the interference of the diclonius queen and a young mutant boy. Recent events have led Kakuzawa to search for help, help that is on its way.

A lone helicopter soared through the skies, disrupting the peace that had been ruling the night. It approached the landing platform, where SAT soldiers waited with their eyes fixed on the vehicle. Soon after it landed the engines were killed, putting a stop to the roaring of the blades. As the winds died down, a man donning a suit disembarked the helicopter. He was one of Kakuzawa's employees and had been sent to pick up an important something… or rather someone.

One more individual came out of the vehicle. It was a young man, probably around twenty, with spiky brown hair and an expression of utmost seriousness depicted on his face. He was wearing a military utility combat uniform and it was easy to tell that he was definitely not Japanese or Oriental. His eyes scrutinized the group of soldiers that was standing in front of him. The man in suit approached the armed individuals and started talking to them.

"This is the man that the director asked for." He told them.

"More like boy. Tell him he's welcome and that we will take him to director Kakuzawa's office." One of them, probably the leader, replied.

The linguist turned around to speak with the foreigner, but was quickly stopped by said man.

"As I've been telling your interpreter, I do not need any translation of your language." He told them firmly.

The man raised his eyebrows in surprise for a second. "Oh how unexpected. You are very fluent in Japanese. You might want to get rid of the accent though."

Ignoring the older man's remark, the boy did a quick salute. "Private First Class Leon Zoroaster of the U.S. Marine Corps, I was sent here to examine the diclonius situation."

"We know, we know. Just follow us kid, we'll get you to speak with the boss man."

The group moved inside the building, passing many metal doors and long corridors on the way. The place was filled with doctors and scientists who could not take their eyes off the armed men, especially in Leon's case. The Special Assault Team barely ever made their way to the top of the building, so if they were headed there now it must have been a big deal. Moreover, they were bringing a foreigner with them.

The marine spent his time looking around as they walked, he was sent there to examine and that was exactly what he planned to do. They soon took an elevator that brought them all the way to the highest floor of the institute. From there, they opened a door to reveal a large room, with a wooden desk at the end of it and a huge window that showed a view of the roaring sea. On the opposite side of the desk sat a man with greying hair, who smiled as soon as the group stepped in.

"Director, sir, the person you were waiting for has arrived." The SAT leader said.

"Splendid job, commander. It is a pleasure to meet you Private Zoroaster." The man said.

"The pleasure's mine Director Kakuzawa."

"Commander, you and your men may leave. I need a word alone with this young soldier."

The four men did as they were told and went back to the elevator, as Leon turned all of his attention to the man before him.

"Well I must compliment the American government. I contacted them only three days ago and here you are already." Kakuzawa said as he clasped his hands under his chin.

Leon nodded. "The topic you brought forth was a rather urgent one, so the procedure was carried on as fast as possible. I am sorry that we can't send our forces right away."

"It is understandable my boy. Few people would believe a message that informs you about a group of dangerous evolved beings who could crush humanity. However, that is why you are here isn't it?"

"Yes, I was deployed to certify the existence of the diclonius species and certify what kind of threat, if any, they pose to us."

The older man frowned. "I can assure you Mister Zoroaster, these girls are by far the greatest threat our species might ever encounter."

"So I've heard. Orders are orders though and I am here to do my job."

"Indeed, and I am sure you will make some fine observations during your stay. Feel free to leave your equipment in your room, one of my assistants will show you the way." The director told the marine as he rose from his chair. "However, we have our procedures as well and you are going to have to go through a number of medical checkups."

"What for?"

"You come from a distant land my boy; here your immune system might not work as well as it would in the United States. If you were to become sick you could contaminate the rest of the staff and I cannot allow that."

It made sense, especially for a staff that had to contain mutated girls. "Alright, then I guess I'll go through with it."

Just then, a woman walked in the room. Her black hair was carried in a ponytail and she wore big round glasses along with a lab coat.

"D-did you call me sir?" She asked the director.

"Arakawa, show the Private the way to his quarters."

"Y-yes of course."

They went down the elevator and walked a long way. The soldier did not start any conversation, he was too focused on observing how the facility worked, that was his mission and why he was there.

"So… you're American huh?" Arakawa asked at some point as they turned around yet another corner.

"I am." He replied simply.

"Oh so does that mean you're from New York?" She asked again.

"Miami." He said with another short reply.

"Miami?!" The woman almost shrieked. She started imagining things. "You mean that place with the beaches, the malls, the wonderful restaurants, and…"

Leon cleared his throat in order to make the researcher focus again. She noticed that he had walked in front of her and was looking at her with expecting eyes.

"Right um sorry about that, here we go."

They walked for a short while longer before Arakawa finally opened a door that lead to a small and empty room with only a bed, a drawer and a small window present.

"I'm sorry if it doesn't look like much, the facility doesn't really provide the best accommodations."

"It's fine." He said as he stepped in.

"I guess I'll let you settle in. The checkups are in an hour, so you have time to unpack. Well, have a nice stay." She said as she closed the door and left the young man to himself.

Leon placed his backpack on the drawer and emptied it of its few contents. It contained only a few essential things, notebooks, a few shirts and pants, snacks, and other small objects. He paused and looked at the last item he pulled out of the bag: a combat knife. He shrugged and placed it on the table. A marine needed defense, even in a friendly environment.

The boy took a last look around the room, noticing that it was really small when seen from the inside. Deciding to pay no mind to such a detail he laid back on the bed, taking a rest from the long journey. In a way he was happy, as few soldiers had the honor of being sent on such an important mission. His presence there was going to decide the future of two entire species. These factors helped him forget the long and uncomfortable flight.

The Private then fixed his pillow to make himself more comfortable. He suddenly felt something brush against his hand. Leon grabbed the object and brought it close to his face. It was a notebook, a simple notebook really, no decorations were on its black cover. The soldier twisted the thing in his hands and examined it, thinking whether he should actually give it a read or not. Then again, tests were in an hour so he had time to spare. He flipped it open and started reading the fine handwriting that was on the first page.

_October 11__th_

_I am not entirely sure why am I writing this. It seems pointless to me really, but the director insisted that it was a good way to spend time. Anyway this is a diary that is supposed to record my days as they go by. My…._

Leon quickly shut the book. There was no way he was going to read about the life of one of the scientists. It would be a waste of his time and he was thrilled by the idea of reading a number of scientific data. He decided to take a nap instead, what was really in need in order to shrug off the fatigue.

Later that same day, the checkups went on and on uneventfully. It was ordinary things: checking his breathing and eyesight, taking blood and urinary tests, as well as asking if he had any history of dangerous diseases. In the end the doctors told him what he already knew: he was more than fit to serve in a military facility.

Only a few minutes after the processes were done, the director walked in to greet Leon.

"Ah Private I am happy to hear the good news that your body is totally sane." He told the American.

"I knew that. Your checkups were a waste of time." He said as he put a black shirt on. He had ditched the combat uniform for now, as it was not the most comfortable piece of clothing. However, the man still wore his camo pants and boots.

"Yes I agree, but one can never be too cautious right?" The old man said with a smile. "I guess you could call them a preparation before what comes next."

"What would that be? Firing practice?"

"It is time for you to see the diclonii." Kakuzawa smirked.

Leon's face immediately grew serious as he nodded. It was time for him to meet his possible enemies. The director led him through more of the facility's corridors and Leon could not help but notice how people were staring at them. He figured Kakuzawa rarely descended to the lower levels and must have been quite a rarity for the personnel to see. They reached a huge metal door that had the number thirty on it. The door slowly slid open letting the two in a brightly lit room.

The place was also filled with scientists who immediately surrounded the director, asking him all sorts of questions.

"Director, what brings you here?"

"Can I get anything for you?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Silence you fools." He said plainly, but effectively making everyone shut up. He then motioned for Leon to make his way to the end of the room.

The young man frowned and looked onward for a few seconds, before taking the first step. He slowly travelled to the opposite side of the room where he was greeted by a glass wall which gave a view of much wider room. Then he saw her, he saw the girl that was chained to the wall. She looked a little older than he was and was completely rid of any sort of clothing, with nothing but a large stain of blood covering her naked figure. Her hair was a scarlet read as were her eyes which shone with great pain and were rendered lucid by the tears she shed. Easy to notice were also the two small horn-like protrusions sprouting from the sides of her head. She was a diclonius and she was right in front of Leon's eyes.

Seeing the pitiful sight that stood before him, he immediately stopped frowning and lost his aggressiveness. Not to say he was confused, angry, sad or revolted, he was standing there taking a good look at the girl with a spark of curiosity.

"Continue the experimentations." Kakuzawa commanded to the scientists.

Soon the men had taken their posts at various computers and started typing a few things. Leon looked around, trying to figure out what were they doing, but quickly decided to look back at the girl. A red laser dot pointed in between her eyes and she started shivering as some sort of cannon was lowered. A few seconds later a metal ball the size of a fist flew across the room and was about to squash the diclonius's head. The marine tensed his muscles and narrowed his eyes waiting for something to happen. Sure enough, the bullet was magically deflected inches away from her skull.

"Three-hundred-and-ten joules cleared, moving to three-hundred-and-thirty." One of the scientists said.

Again the ball was shot and again it was deflected by an invisible force. Leon had read of the diclonii's vectors in the reports, but seeing them in action was incredible for him. His expression however did not change and it remained focused on the girl.

Time passed and she was almost able to clear four-hundred joules, but at that one last attempt, the projectile was not deflected enough and hit her ribcage. The red-haired girl screamed in agony and fell on her knees, unleashing her tears. Her face looked up at the glass wall and her red eyes made visual contact with Leon's, yet the soldier's expression remained unchanged.

Kakuzawa walked next to him. "Young Zoroaster, you were sent here to observe and it seems you did. What do you see in our methods? Are you going to storm out of that door shouting about how barbaric we are? Are you going to jump in there and try to save what looks like an innocent girl? Or will you listen to us humans and understand that these creatures are dangerous?"

The younger man remained silent and kept engaging in the visual dialogue with the tortured soul in front of him. "This shows me nothing." He finally said. "Showing me the torture reserved for diclonii and nurturing my brain with your theories won't make you earn the Marine's support any sooner director. I have seen too little with my own eyes to form a judgment right now."

"Director, do you want us to continue?" Another scientist asked.

Kakuzawa said nothing, but instead turned to the Private.

"The same goes to her. Her being in pain won't make me her friend or help her out. For now I stand neutral. She has nothing to do with me."

He turned around and took his gaze off of her, without missing the expression of terror that formed on her face the moment he did so. Leon started his walk out of the room.

"Let's start this again, one-hundred joules." The same scientist told everyone.

A shot was heard and this time too an audible scream along with cries of pain followed. However, it was not enough to halter the marine's walk as he exited the experimentation room. Had he turned around at that moment, he might have been able to catch a glimpse of Kakuzawa grinning evilly at his retreating figure. So begins Leon Zoroaster's adventure in Kamakura.

**That was the first chapter of my sequel story! Hope you guys enjoyed and apologize the delay! Man, I wish for this story to turn out as good as the other one, maybe even better!**


	2. The Girl in the Dream

**Here you have another chapter! I know it took long, but this ain't just a retelling of the anime anymore! It is off the top of my head and I need to make sure it is perfect! That means it might take me a little longer to update every time. Oh well the newest part is here so that's what matters!**

**CHAPTER II: THE GIRL IN THE DREAM**

A lone girl walked in the distance. A cold and black darkness shrouded everything around her naked figure. The small child moved slowly but surely, as bloody footprints followed in her path. Her head was carried low, giving her an overall miserable and pitiful appearance.

"Who are you?" Leon called out.

Those three words made the girl stop in her tracks. She turned around and lifted her head to look at the person who had called out to her straight in the eyes. When she did she was not a little girl anymore, she was a fully matured young woman that stared into the soldier's eyes with the most murderous of gazes.

Leon saw red in his eyes and an uncontrollable pain shot through his head as a slow and sad melody played in his head.

The young soldier woke up with a jolt. He sat up and took a few seconds to put himself at ease. The American boy had had the same dream for the past few days. He stared at his shaky and sweaty hands wondering if what he saw was really just an illusion. It felt too powerful to be a dream, too real. Whenever he went to that place and looked into the girl's eyes he was terrified. The wave of fright felt too powerful to belong in a dream.

After a good five minutes, Leon finally came to his senses and exhaled slowly. He had seen diclonii for a mere week and was already having nightmares about them. It was strange to him since he had seen very little of the girls' aggressive nature. Lingering on a simple nightmare was not a good idea, so he decided to get up and start getting ready for the day. He reached for his uniform before noticing that the diary he had discarded a few days earlier lay right next to it. Days had been going by slowly, so the least he could do was give it a try. He picked it up and stuffed it in his bag for later.

A knock was heard on his door and he proceeded in opening it. Leon was greeted by the sight of his superior's assistant: Shirakawa.

"Um good morning Zoroaster-san, the director…" She started with her usual shy voice.

"…Wants to see me to discuss my assignment." He finished for her. "You tell me that every morning Shirakawa. And I told you to call me Leon." The Private grabbed his jacket and put it on quickly.

"Ah yes I'm so sorry Zoro… um Leon."

The boy sighed almost in exasperation at the woman. Saying she was clumsy was an understatement, but he had to admit her presence was comforting. Among all those scientists who seemed to have no emotions unless they were torturing some mutant girl, she seemed to provide some humanity to the facility.

"Tell him I'll be right there. I need to eat something first."

Only then did she notice his slightly tired expression. It came as a surprise to her. In the past few days, Leon had always been eager to know more about diclonii and always seemed to be searching for a conclusion to his investigation. To see the energetic marine tired was quite the rare event.

"Leon, are you okay? You seem rather tired."

"I'm fine, just suffering from the jet lag." He lied to her.

"If you say so… Okay then, I'll go inform the director." She replied not completely believing him.

After they had gone their separate ways, Leon headed for the cafeteria. The food there was nothing special, but he was a soldier and had learned no to complain about poor nourishment. What he was obligated to bear however, were the scowls and curious looks he received from everyone there. After all, the staff did not appreciate the fact that the United States had sent someone to help them do their own job. They thought they could handle everything on their own and they did not need any 'gaijin' to help them. Not that it mattered anyway; he did not plan on socializing with anyone.

So he let his mind drift to his assignment again. He could not determine anything from staying in that facility. All he had seen was the various methods of experimentation carried out on the mutants. Also Kakuzawa would steadily give him information on how merciless the diclonii were. The private, however, knew how important determining the threat was and was not about to make hasty decisions. He needed to see a free diclonius act and know how they acted. Were they really the monsters they spoke of?

She walked back inside as quietly as humanly possible. All the lights in the house were off with only the moonlight slightly illuminating part of the hallway. Everything else around her was dark, meaning that the inhabitants were probably asleep already. She breathed a sigh of relief and took her shoes off at the entrance. She had not taken more than two steps before a voice surprised her.

"Seems like you finally decided to come back."

She instantly froze. The voice was very well known to her ears, as it had been haunting her for seven long years. It was the boy she loved.

"Kouta…" His name came out of her lips as a whisper.

A figure stepped in the hallway and let itself bathe in the moonlight. It revealed a young man no more than twenty years old with raven hair and blue eyes.

"Where were you?" He asked with a stern face.

The girl in front of him recovered her composure as quickly as she could and stood straight in order to look confident. "Nowhere, I was just taking a walk around."

"And you expect me to believe that just because this time you don't have any wounds on you?"

"Kouta, nothing happened so relax." Her red eyes looked away, not wanting to confront him directly.

"Not today maybe, but what about all the other times? And what about the times that will come? You expect me to just sit here and do nothing?" Kouta's voice was now rising.

Her reply did not come right away. She mustered the courage to look at him in the eyes so that he might better understand her. "Someone has to protect this family."

"What good is it if it's at the cost of one of its members?" He frowned at her.

"If I stay here all day, the whole house might be taken down!" She yelled in defense. Why was she being scolded? She was doing all this for them! There was no reason to feel shame.

"You won't solve anything by just taking all the hits for us!" The boy yelled back.

"I'm the only one who can!" The girl shouted with gritted teeth, causing the boy to back off. Tears started to wet her eyes as her aggressive expression failed to leave her pale face. "I can't afford to lose anyone else. He wouldn't want anyone to get hurt." She concluded looking away.

Kouta's expression softened upon hearing that. He took a deep sigh, hoping to make her come to reason. "He wouldn't have wanted you to risk your life Kaede."

She was now breaking into a full cry. Yes, Kaede was her name. She had been feared by many as the bloodthirsty diclonius queen Lucy and loved by the residents of Maple House as the easygoing Nyu. Her tragic past had been constellated with terrible events for being born different. She was able to find very few rays of light in her whole existence, but they were enough to make her keep going. The strongest light was Kouta himself who had been able to accept her along with everyone in the house even after all she did. Ever since they had confessed their feelings to each other they lived happily together. However, one of the most important lights in Kaede's heart had died out recently.

Alex was her brother and the first person to accept her. Maybe they were not related by blood but they were surely a family to one another. Six months earlier, he had been shot by one of the men that were sent after her and she never was able to move on despite her efforts. The young diclonius also knew that her siblings' sacrifice would not put a stop to Kakuzawa's schemes and that it was a matter of time before he pinpointed her location. After all, he had many more diclonii at his disposal and could use one of them to indicate where to search. To prevent trouble, she moved around town all day long so that the soldiers would never be aware of her stay at Maple House. Occasionally, SAT teams would intercept her and would have to deal with them. Her course of action often resulted in her being wounded, which greatly worried Kouta.

The boy walked up to her and embraced her. She immediately returned the act and buried her head in his shoulder.

"I know how much you miss him. I might not have lost my brother, but I am missing a good friend. We all are. But you have to think about how much you mean to this family."

Only a short distance away from them, two little girls spied on the couple and their discussion. Both of them seemed sad to see the tragic interaction between them.

"What would the girls do without you?" He continued.

It was true the two younger females, Nana and Mayu, had been affected greatly by Alex's death. The human girl more so than her diclonius friend as she had spent more time with him and had started to see him as an older sibling as well. Nana had not had enough time to feel that way, but Alex had been willing to fight for her when she was assaulted by Mariko and helped when she was homeless. He had proved to be some sort of guardian angel to her.

Kaede looked up at him and brushed the tears off her eyes. "You're right, I can't be weak. I need to be close to everyone."

"That's better." He said with a soft smile.

She smiled back at him and brought her lips closer to his as they engaged in a passionate kiss. The two little girls, who were now smiling at the sight, felt someone tap on their shoulders and turned to see Yuka.

"Why don't you girls go back to bed and leave these two alone?" She whispered as she smiled at them.

They nodded and followed her back upstairs. Yuka had been deeply affected by the aftermath of Alex's death. She was the first one to meet him and the one who invited him in the house. His carefree attitude always cheered her up when she was sad. The constant affection her cousin showed Nyu got her sad and jealous, but the other boy's solace would make her feel better. Now, he wasn't there and Kouta and Kaede became a couple. At first it hurt her like never before, but seeing what the older diclonius was going through and knowing that Alex would not want anyone to be sad she pushed through. It wasn't easy, but she was still able to move on.

Moreover, everyone in the house had come to know about Nana and Kaede's origins. For Mayu and Yuka it was a lot to take in, but they accepted them anyway. They were never the kind of people who would shut the door in front of someone for being different.

Overall, all of them had gone through a lot and were living a hard and complicated life. Nonetheless, they pulled through by helping each other out and by sticking together like a family should.

"Was there more you wanted to tell me sir?"

The director spun around his chair and stretched his arm towards the private. In his hand was a piece of paper. "Take a look at this Zoroaster." He said with a frown on his face.

Leon raised a questioning brow as he took the object from the director.

It was a picture and the person in it made his eyes widen in recognition. It was a young woman with the usual features of a diclonii: pink hair, pale skin, red eyes, and horns. She was wearing a white top and her hair covered one of her eyes. Her eyes however were what Leon was concentrating on. They were filled with hatred and scorn for the world. Her expression gave off a strong killing intent that the young soldier recognized immediately. It was her, the same girl that had plagued his nightmares for the past few nights.

Kakuzawa did not miss this reaction. "Is something wrong?"

Leon looked at him, then back at the picture. "N-no, it's nothing. Who is she?"

"She is the ultimate life form my friend, the strongest and most evolved of her kind. Her name is Lucy and she is the diclonius queen."

"Queen?" He repeated confused. "What do you mean? There was no such individual in the report."

"That is because your government asked to know of all specimen we had in our possession. This one escaped six months ago."

Leon's eyes immediately went wide again. A free diclonius? That was exactly what he needed.

"She is the only one of her species able to reproduce and arguably the most powerful."

"Sir I need to have access to all the data that you have on this girl. Her actions in the last few months, her habits, her objectives; I need to know everything about her."

The director chuckled at his response. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"What? Why not?! She is in town, her interaction with humans could give me crucial details on my investigation you can't just let that…"

"You can't because I have selected a SAT team for her retrieval." The director interrupted Leon. "And you are part of it." He concluded with a small smile.

Leon was shocked, they had localized their most dangerous experiment and he was sending him on the field. He finally had the opportunity he was waiting for. No, even better. Now he could see one of the mutants act with his own eyes.

"I'm sure you will collect sufficient data this way."

"O-of course sir." He said as he recuperated from the shock and was filled with satisfaction. "Thank you."

"Her capture is of the utmost importance Zoroaster. Her study could finally lead to the creation of a vaccine for the inmates' conditions. I'd advise you to be careful however, I've sent numerous teams in the past months, but none were successful."

"You don't have to worry sir. I will do whatever I can to help SAT get her back."

The old man nodded in approval. "Good, now go get ready. Your squad will meet in an hour"

"Yes sir!" The boy yelled as he saluted the director before leaving.

It was time, time to confront the enemy face to face. However, Leon couldn't get one question out of his mind. He was positive he had never seen that girl before, so why? Why did Lucy appear in his dreams?

**The stage is set! The confrontation is upon us! Keep udated!**


End file.
